Cheng Yan Huang

Cheng Yan was born and raised in Taiwan and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Land Economics from National Chengchi University. He then spent seven years in land administration with the New Taipei City and Taipei City governments, specializing in land development and land acquisition.

As the primary officer on the Xindian Shisizhang land development project, Cheng Yan coordinated more than 2,000 landowners through public hearings, compensation, and resettlement, and helped deliver social housing units near a major transit hub. Through this work, he learned how legal constraints, financial feasibility, and community needs shape whether a project actually gets built.

Cheng Yan enrolled in the MSRE program at the University of Washington to strengthen his financial, legal, and investment analysis skills, and also to gain a deeper understanding of how private capital and public policy can work together to deliver housing that is affordable to the public. After graduation, he hopes to return to land use policy and urban redevelopment, where he can work between the public and private sectors to create more livable and lively communities.